UAB Researchers Report Parkinson's Drug Shows Promise

Research led by a team from UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) has shown that a dopamine agonist called rotigotine could be effective in treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Posted on January 3, 2007 at 3:00 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Research led by a team from UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) has shown that a dopamine agonist called rotigotine could be effective in treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). In a study published Jan. 3 in the online edition of Neurology, rotigotine significantly improved symptoms in patients with early-stage PD.

PD is characterized by a shortage of a neurotransmitter in the brain called dopamine. Without suitable amounts of dopamine, PD patients are unable to control their movements reliably. Rotigotine, manufactured by Schwarz Pharma, is a dopamine agonist – a drug that mimics the action of dopamine in the brain and compensates for the shortage.

The multi-center study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of once-daily rotigotine, delivered continuously through the skin via a patch, versus placebo in patients with early-stage PD.

“This study showed that rotigotine may be safe and effective, and potentially be of major value in the treatment of early-stage PD,” said Ray. L. Watts, M.D., chair of the UAB Department of Neurology and principal investigator of the study. “Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder and rotigotine seems to offset the variability we often see in the multiple dose regimens of other drugs used to treat PD.”

The study examined 302 patients with early-stage PD at 50 clinical sites in the United States and Canada. Patient symptoms were measured using the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) following six months of therapy with rotigotine or placebo.

The group receiving rotigotine showed a significant decrease in their UPDRS score, indicating symptom improvement. The placebo group had a continued increase in UPDRS scores, indicating worsening symptoms.

“Since the responsiveness of shorter acting drugs now used to treat PD becomes more variable as the disease progresses over time, the transdermal patch may have advantages because of the continuous delivery of the therapy, which avoids the abrupt "off" state that can occur with other therapies,” Watts said.

Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the central nervous system. There are roughly 4 million people with PD worldwide, including approximately 1 million in the United States. This peer-reviewed study provides important confirmation of preliminary results presented earlier.